When it comes to the BlackBerry there are many terms used in everyday conversation. Some of these terms can be confusing and may leave one wondering what exactly a person is trying to say. Most of us in the BlackBerry community tend to talk in these short terms, such as; BBM, RIM, POP, BES, OTA or SDK.

I know what they all mean, but do you?

Well, with the use of this dictionary you should be confused no more!

I have compiled information from multiple different sources and added my own definitions/comments to put together a BlackBerry Master Dictionary.

Check out the full dictionary below.

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BB:
BlackBerry

RIM:
Stands for Research In Motion, the company that manufactures BlackBerry devices and develops software products for it, such as BES.

BIS:
Stands for BlackBerry Internet Service. This is your @blackberry.net email account, which you can access via a web browser, in order to configure your BlackBerry through a web-based interface. You can also read your blackberry.net emails on your BIS account. This is the new name for the BlackBerry Web Client (BWC).

BES:
This stands for BlackBerry Enterprise Server. BES turns a BlackBerry into a powerful government-quality secure email system with full wireless email and PIM synchronization, including email folder structure, moves between folders, deletions, unread/read indicators, etc. An administrator can even kill a BlackBerry remotely through BES when it gets stolen too. People, who need inexpensive BES, can see the Hosted BES FAQ. BES also provides MDS capability, which is generally higher-reliability than the recently available TCP/IP stack found on BlackBerries.

DM:
Desktop Manager is the software application used by a BlackBerry to communicate with your PC for synchronizing data in your calendar, address book, tasks and memos. Other applications included in recent versions of DM include a Switch Device Wizard used for moving or upgrading from one BlackBerry to another and other phone models/manufacturers to a BlackBerry; Media Manager, used for transferring media content (music files, pictures, ringtones, etc.); Application Loader, for loading additional or third-party software to your BlackBerry; and Backup/Restore, used to backup the data content on your BlackBerry and likewise to restore content from your backup to the BlackBerry.

OS:
Operating System is the core operating software that is the engine of your BlackBerry. There are various OS versions developed by RIM and released by carriers to their users. Find your OS on your BlackBerry by (on the BB) clicking Options or Tools, and clicking about.

Push Email:
Push Email describes a system, where messages are delivery is sent to the wireless device by a server initiating communication with the end unit. Push Email is often misunderstood as any system with "immediate" mail delivery. While BlackBerry devices are well known for having nearly immediate mail delivery, the timing has, in fact, very little to do with determining whether a system is push email. The key to push mail is the responsibility of the end client in the mail delivery process. A BlackBerry device never initiates the mail delivery process, which is what makes it a push system. BES, BIS and Desktop Redirector are all push mail systems, which integrate with the BlackBerry device.

OTA:
Stands for Over the Air. Over the air is a .jad/.jar file that is installed from within the BlackBerry browser. These files are installed directly onto your device for applications and etc. This is most commonly used in conversations about BlackBerry Themes and Apps downloads.

PTT:
The acronym PTT stands for Push-to-Talk. PTT is essentially walkie-talkie communications with a two-way radio.

PIN:
Each Blackberry has a unique PIN. This is not your 4-digit PIN for your SIM card, but an 8 character long hexadecimal value that is used to identify your device against the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. So this PIN is not used in the common understanding of "PIN" for logging in, like your using phone SIM card, ATM card, Online banking.

PIN Messaging:
Sending private emails only between BlackBerry devices. A BlackBerry PIN is a special address code similar to a postal code or phone number, for sending emails only to other BlackBerry devices. This is not compatible with phone numbers or emails or SMS. It is an entirely different kind of an address. Not every BlackBerry user needs to use PIN Messaging, but this feature is there if you love it!

BBM:
Stands for BlackBerry Messenger. BBM is a messaging system on blackberry handsets that allows any handset to communicate with another handset using the BIS or BES system. BBM uses a users PIN number to send BBM messages from one device to another. Owners will sometimes say "PIN me" which means to send me a message using BBM.

MMS:
Multimedia Message Service is similar to SMS (see definition below) but allows attachment of certain images, address book entries, and other media.

SMS:
This stands for Short Message Service. This is a method of sending small text messages between mobile phones, usually up to 160 characters of text. This behaves like an email, except the address is simply the phone number of your recipient mobile phone or BlackBerry. SMS is very popular in some countries such as UK, and especially popular with the young urban crowd in developed countries. SMS is also a popular substitute for email in areas where email is used less frequently.

IMAP:
This is an Internet Message Access Protocol. A protocol for retrieving email messages

POP:
Stands for Post Office Protocol. POP is an e-mail system. It used by local e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a remote server. (POP mail is for incoming mail)

APN:
This is an acronym for Access Point Name. This is used for the TCP/IP stack. This is a kind of a gateway between the mobile network and the Internet network. To gain access to always-on Internet from a mobile phone, such as instant messaging, it goes through an APN. Some mobile phones, such as BlackBerry uses multiple APN's. The main APN is blackberry.net for the BlackBerry emails, but there are other APN's that are carrier-specific for getting Internet access such as Verichat, etc.

BWC:
BWC is an abbreviation for BlackBerry Web Client. This is the old name for "BlackBerry Internet Service". See BIS.

BPS:
Bits Per Second. A standard measure of data transmission speeds for computer modem and transmission carriers. GBps is short for Gigabits per second. (gigabit = 1,000,000,000 bits)

CDK:
Content Development Kit

ETP:
Stands for Email Transfer Protocol. This protocol is what enables the Desktop Redirector feature of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server to redirect messages from the user’s environment to the BlackBerry infrastructure.

HotSpots:
This is unique to touch screen blackberries. This is a portion of the screen that does not show an icon but functions the same as an icon button. Also known as a Hidden Hotspot.

HTML:
Hyper Text Markup Language. This is the format of a document in a web browser. Same thing as in your desktop web browser, such as Internet Explorer. Recent BlackBerry devices can now display HTML too.

MDS:
This stands for Mobile Data Service. It's a method of Internet connectivity for a BlackBerry. This is provided by a the BlackBerry Enterprise Server¬. In the past, BlackBerry devices required MDS to run most kinds of third-party Internet software. More information can be found at Configuring Internet on BlackBerry.

PIM:
This stands for Personal Information Management. A PIM handles your address book, calendar, tasks, and notes. A BlackBerry has PIM because it has these. A PalmPilot has a PIM too. And your desktop Microsoft Outlook is a PIM software program. So is Palm Desktop too. Macintosh users have Entourage, as well as simpler PIM components such as iCal. PIM's are frequently designed to synchronize to each other, such as between a BlackBerry and Microsoft Outlook.

Service Book:
Service Books on your BlackBerry enable various services to be rendered to your BlackBerry, such as email configurations, the browser and attachment services.

Sync:
Short for Synchronization or Synchronize. This allows your BlackBerry to have identical PIM information as your Microsoft Outlook. New items added to your BlackBerry gets added to your Microsoft Outlook automatically, and new items added to your Microsoft Outlook gets added to your BlackBerry.

TCP/IP Stack:
This is a protocol that allows all computers and handhelds to connect to the Internet. If you are reading this article, you are already using a TCP/IP stack that is built into your computer or handheld's operating system. TCP/IP stands for "Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol". Recent BlackBerry devices include TCP/IP capability, so you can run Internet software on a BlackBerry.

WAP:
This stands for Wireless Application Protocol. This is a method of wireless web browsing. Kind of like slimmed-down HTML. Wikipedia WAP

IMEI Code:
Stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. An IMEI is a unique 15-digit code used to identify individual mobile phones. The code is usually printed on your phone under the battery.

IP Address:
Stands for Internet Protocol address. An IP address is a numerical identification and logical address that is assigned to all machines on the Internet. The IP address is composed of four numbers from 0 - 255, separated by decimal points.

IPD:
The .IPD file format (standing for Interactive Pager Backup) is used by Blackberry smart-phone devices to store user information when creating data backups to your computer. Depending on which data was selected for backup, .IPD files may contain anything from the user's address book and emails to memos, SMS messages and even configuration data.

JDE:
Java Development Environment

MTA:
Is a computer process or software agent that transfers electronic mail messages from one computer to another, in single hop application-level transactions. An MTA implements both the client (sending) and server (receiving) portions of the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

MDA:
A mail delivery agent or message delivery agent (MDA) is computer software that transfers the responsibility for the management of e-mail messages from the message transfer agent (MTA) within the message handling service (MHS) to a recipient's environment, commonly transferring them into a mailbox.

MUA:
Mail User Agent is a computer program used to manage email. It may refer to any agent acting as a client toward an email server, regardless of it being a mail user agent, a relaying server, or a human typing on a terminal. In addition, a web application providing message management, composition, and reception functionality is sometimes considered an email client.

OEM:
Stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. OEM is a company that uses a component made by a second company in its own product, or sells the product of the second company under its own brand. It is usually cheaper than the full versions but not as cheap as academic or student editions.

PPP:
Stands for Point to Point Protocol. PPP is a used for sending data over long-distance networks or used to establish a direct connection between two computers. It can provide connection authentication, transmission encryption privacy, and compression and be used for dial-up access to the Internet.

PTK:
Plazmic Theme Builder — A program that lets you design your own custom BlackBerry themes and customize various aspects of the user interface, including backgrounds, icons and fonts

SDK:
A software development kit is typically a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.

SIM:
Subscriber Identity Module. The SIM, also known as the SIM card is a “smart card” for networks, which contains security-related data and user data. It can store personal information such as phone numbers, contacts and text messages.

SIM Lock:
In most countries, most mobile phones are shipped with country and/or network provider locks. In addition, these locked phones tend to have firmware installed on them, which is specific to the network provider. For example, if you have a Vodafone or Telstra branded phone in Australia, it displays the relevant logo and may only support features provided by that network (e.g. Vodafone Live!). This firmware is installed by the service provider and is separate from the locking mechanism. Most mobile phones can be unlocked to work with any GSM, such as O2 or Orange (in the UK), but the phone may still display the original branding and may not support features of your new carrier. Most phones can be unbranded by uploading a different firmware version, a procedure recommended for advanced users only.

Smartphone:
A Smartphone is a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities, often with PC-like functionality (PC-mobile handset convergence). There is no industry standard definition of a Smartphone. For some, a Smartphone is a phone that runs complete operating system software providing a standardized interface and platform for application developers. For others, a Smartphone is simply a phone with advanced features like e-mail, Internet and e-book reader capabilities, and/or a built-in full keyboard or external USB keyboard and VGA connector. In other words, it is a miniature computer that has phone capability.

SMTP:
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. SMTP is an Internet standard protocol for sending email between servers, or from sending e-mail across the servers. (SMTP is used for outgoing mail)

SURETYPE:
They keyboard and software invented by RIM that combines a traditional phone keypad with the QWERTY-based keyboard. SureType includes a list of over 35,000 words and can recognize common character sequences.

WAP:
Wireless Application Protocol. WAP gives you information (in text format) from the web in a format that is easy for to download, display, read and read on your cell screen.

WLAN:
Wireless Local Area Network. A network that allows you to wirelessly connect to your email and Internet.

JVM: (Java virtual machine)
Is a virtual machine capable of executing Java bytecode. It is the code execution component of the java platform that blackberrys OS is built upon.

ARM:
Is the processor architecture that allows the JVM to interface with the hardware within the device.

Network Types

GSM:
GSM is the most popular mobile phone standard in the world. Almost every mobile phone network in the world uses this type of technology. GSM stands for "Global System for Mobile communication". This is a second-generation digital mobile phone standard that transmits voice digitally between the phone and the cell antenna towers. Large North American mobile phone networks that uses GSM include Cingular and AT&T, Rogers and Fido, as well as T-Mobile. Standardization has permitted the ability to interchange phones between many different providers, provided that the phone is not "locked" to function only on one carrier. For technical information, see Wikipedia GSM.

GPRS:
This is a data extension to GSM and stands for "General Packet Radio Service". This enables devices such as BlackBerry to have always-on access without using up airtime. GPRS simply transmits data over unused airwaves that are not being used for active phone calls. GPRS gives priority to phone calls, so GPRS automatically slows down in busy airwaves to prevent busy signals on other mobile phones. This is why GPRS can give you unlimited 24/7 always-on Internet access, without the need to dial the Internet. It is the most widespread always-on Internet method. BlackBerry uses GPRS for all emails. Speeds are typically between 30 and 70 kilobits per second, depending on conditions and the network. Not all GSM networks have GPRS. All North American GSM networks have GPRS available. GPRS is partway between second generation and third generation, so it is often called a "2.5G" network. GPRS can have fairly high latency, of about 500 milliseconds. For technical information, see

EDGE:
This is an extension to GSM and GPRS for faster data speeds. The principle is the same as GPRS, except data speeds are much faster. Speeds are typically in excess of 100 kilobits per second, and sometimes in excess of 250 kilobits per seconds under excellent conditions. Latency is improved over GPRS. For technical information, see Wikipedia EDGE.

iDEN:
This is newer proprietary mobile phone network that was made popular by Nextel. It stands for "Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network". It has the advantage of being natively packet-based so Internet performance is much lower latency on iDEN networks than GPRS networks, as low as under one-tenth the latency of GPRS. Telus and some South American carriers also use iDEN. iDEN phones are not interchangeable with GSM and CDMA phones. Nextel BlackBerry devices will display an indicator "NXTL" when it connects with full data service, and lowercase "nxtl" when it is not able to connect to full BlackBerry email/Internet service. For technical information, see Wikipedia iDEN.

CDMA:
This is yet another mobile phone network standard, invented by Qualcomm, and is used mainly by many North American carriers. It stands for "Code Division Multiple Access". CDMA BlackBerry devices display an indicator "1X" when it connects with full data service, and lowercase "1x" when it is not able to connect to full BlackBerry email/Internet service. Carriers include Verizon, Sprint, and Telus. For technical information, see Wikipedia CDMA.

CDMA2000 and 1X:
Just like GPRS is an extension to GSM, this is a standard that extends on CDMA for always-on data at higher speeds. CDMA based BlackBerry devices use 1X for data transmissions. For technical information, see Wikipedia CDMA2000.

EVDO:
EVDO is a lot like EDGE (for GSM-based networks) except it is for use on CDMA networks. It provides a higher-speed connection (up to 4.9Mbps on downward links) than already available with the CDMA2000 standard. When EVDO is used on a BlackBerry, it is commonly identified as 1X EVDO. For technical information, see Wikipedia EVDO.

WiFi:
A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, iPod, cell phone or PDA can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The area covered by one or more interconnected access points is called a hotspot. Hotspots can cover as little as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as much as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. Wi-Fi can also be used to create a mesh network. Wikipedia WiFi

3G:
3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology, after 2G. It is based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) family of standards under the International Mobile Telecommunications program, "IMT-2000". 3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment. Unlike IEEE 802.11 networks, 3G networks are wide area cellular telephone networks, which evolved to incorporate high-speed Internet access and video telephony. IEEE 802.11 networks are short range, high-bandwidth networks primarily developed for data. Wikipedia 3G

Mobitex:
This is one of the original networks that early models of BlackBerry devices ran on. They were the RIM model 95X series. Mobitex is an early packet-switched wireless data network, and is still a popular data network for many systems such as taxi meters, parcel delivery scanners, etc.

4G:
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. A 4G system is expected to provide a comprehensive and secure all-IP based mobile broadband solution to laptop computer wireless modems, Smartphone’s, and other mobile devices. Facilities such as ultra-broadband Internet access, IP telephony, gaming services, and streamed multimedia may be provided to users. In all suggestions for 4G, the CDMA spread spectrum radio technology used in 3G systems and IS-95 is abandoned and replaced by OFDMA and other frequency-domain equalization schemes.[citation needed] This is combined with MIMO (Multiple In Multiple Out), e.g., multiple antennas, dynamic channel allocation and channel-dependent scheduling.

*If you would like to add any Dictionary words and definitions, please post below*

06-26-2011, 10:42 PM

AgentBlackBerry

This is awesome...

08-21-2011, 06:53 PM

BBSuperAbuser

Time to alphabetize the list my friend

08-21-2011, 08:20 PM

Joe Jerde

A must read for any BlackBerry user.

11-03-2011, 11:27 PM

JSanders

The entries in this 'dictionary' were 95% plagiarized from material I helped co-author in 2007.
w w w . blackberryfaq . com/index.php/BlackBerry_Glossary

Compare the various entries, it's obvious.

The only proper response to this is to include credit, source and links to the original material.
Anything less is unethical.

11-04-2011, 02:55 AM

Joe Jerde

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSanders

The entries in this 'dictionary' were 95% plagiarized from material I helped co-author in 2007.
w w w . blackberryfaq . com/index.php/BlackBerry_Glossary

Compare the various entries, it's obvious.

The only proper response to this is to include credit, source and links to the original material.
Anything less is unethical.

Unfortunately, not all content on the internet has a source and this could have been copied from a number of places that don't source the original content as well. I'm sure since you are google-ing to see you may have stumbled across others as well.

Fortunately, we at BlackBerryOS.com want to give credit where credit is due. Thanks for letting us know, I'll post the source info in the original post above. :)

01-06-2012, 05:36 PM

lshap

JVM: (Java virtual machine)
is a virtual machine capable of executing Java bytecode. It is the code execution component of the java platform that blackberrys OS is built upon.

ARM: Is the processor architecture that allows the JVM to interface with the hardware within the device.

01-07-2012, 02:27 PM

Joe Jerde

Quote:

Originally Posted by lshap

JVM: (Java virtual machine)
is a virtual machine capable of executing Java bytecode. It is the code execution component of the java platform that blackberrys OS is built upon.

ARM: Is the processor architecture that allows the JVM to interface with the hardware within the device.